Jar and tumbler cap lifting and removing tool



Jan 3, 1950 QQUCHER 2,493,438-

JAR AND TUMBLER CAP LIF'ITING AND REMOVING TOOL Filed April 1- 194 6 3Sheets-Sheet l i 64 'Jnven Ewll le G. BOLiC/LEI".

attorneys Jan, 3, 1950 a. BOUCHER 1 2,493,438

JAR TUMBLER CAP LIFTING AND REMOVING T001: 7

Filed April 1; 1946 s Sheets-Sheet 2 Eva Elie G. BCWEE (l'l-t'ornegsJan. 3, 19 50 YELQVBC U CHER 2,493,438

JAR AND 'TUMBLER CAP LIFTING AND REMOVING TOOL- Filed Apri; 1, 19463'Sheets-Sheet s Fio'. 11. P

E mile G.'Bouc]ze17 7 IQMAM/ Patented Jan. 3, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE JAR AND TUMBLER CAP LIFTING AND REMOVING TOOL 4 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for removing caps and lids of jars andother containers and more particularly to a tool which is especiallyadapted to remove caps of the pressed-on type from glass jars, tumblersand other types of containers. I, In my prior application Serial Number647,900, filed February 15, 1946, entitled Jar cap remover, there aredisclosed several types of prying tools which are readily adaptable forthe quick and efficient removal of jar caps from jars of different sizesThe present invention constitutes an improvement over the inventions ofthe prior application and includes a novel construction which not onlyretains all of the desirable features of the prior inventions, but alsoadds an arrangement for efiiciently removing caps from jelly glasses andsimilar types of containers without marring and bending such caps out ofshape.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a novelunitary tool which is capable of quickly removing caps and lids fromjars, bottles, tumblers and other types of glass containers of varioussizes, without marring or bending cap or lid, and without chipping orcracking the container.

A further object is to provide a tool of the above character whichincludes a novel arm construction which is adapted to fit beneath thelower edge of the rim of the cap and which includes cam surfaces whichcooperate with the shoulder or flange of the jar to secure a powerfulcamming action to remove the cap upon manipulation of the tool with aminimum of effort.

Another object is to provide a novel arrangement, in a tool of theforegoing type which includes a tooth or hook which is adapted to fitbeneath the skirt or flange of a cap of the jelly glass type, and whichcooperates with the arms of the tool to quickly remove the cap with alittle effort and without bending the cap.

A still further object resides in providing a universal tool of integraland unitary construction which includes a number of cooperating partsfor removing caps and lids of various sizes from glass containers, theinvention being particularly useful in connection with those containerswherein the caps are securely maintained in sealing position bypartially evacuating the interior of the containers.

Another object is to provide a tool of the above type which isrelatively simple in construction and which may be manufactured at arelatively low cost.

Otherobjects and novel features of the invenit! v tion will appear morefully hereinafter from a consideration, ofthe. following detaileddescriptionwhen taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.. Itis to be. expressly understood, however, that the drawings are utilizedfor purposes of illustration only and are notdesigned as a definitionof, the limits ofthe invention, referencebeing had for this. purpose, tothe append d cl m Referring tothe drawings. wherein similar referencecharacters refer to similar parts throughout the se ralvi w 7 Fig.1} isa plan view of a tool constructed in accordanee with the principles ofthe present inven- Fig.2 is a side view of the tool of Fig. 1;

Fig.3 is a sectional View of the tool taken subta tia ly cla s. li 3-3 oFig Figs. a and 44; are side views of the tool associatedwith twodifferent types of conventional ss Ja .5 is apartial sectional view ofthe arm 28 taken substantially .along line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

6 is apartial side view of one of the arms o It etqql wh n the c p of F4 ha beenlpartially removed;

Fig. 7 is aplan view of one end of the tool shown as being associatedwiththe cap of a jar of the J l ss t lfiig. 8 a partial sideview'of oneof the arms of the tool of Fig. '7;

Fig. 91s aplan view of the other end of the tool shown associated withthe cap of a jelly glass type of container;

. Fig; 10 isa partial sideview of one of the arms ofthe tool of Fig. 9;

- Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic view showing the relationship of the teethon the arms of the tool for jars and caps of different sizes;

Fig. 12 is a partial side view of one of the arms showinga modified typeof cap remover; and

Fig. 13 is a front view of the tool of Fig. 12.

l teferring more particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a cap removingitool'ZOembodying the principles of the present invention is illustratedtherein. as including a handle, part 22 provided at its opposite endswithspaced-apart pairs of arms 24, 26 and 28, 3 l l, eac h of,saidarmsbeing preferably formed integrallywith the handlepart 22. Aswill appear more fully hereinafter, the arms 24 and 26 are adapted toremove caps of the pressed-on type from bottles of different sizes, suchas those presently used forpackagingchili sauce, fruit juices, etc Arms28 and 30, ,on thepther hand are employed for removing caps fromconventional types of glass jars of different sizes used at the presenttime to package canned vegetables, etc.

More particularly, and referring to Figs. 2, 3 and 5, the tool 28 ispreferably formed at one end with a downwardly curved portion 32 whichincludes the spaced-apart arms 28 and 39 which extend forwardly of thetool and which are arranged in a plane substantially parallel to butspaced below the plane of the handle part 22. The opposite end of thetool is similarly formed with a downwardly curved portion 34 whichincludes the spaced-apart arms 24 and 25, these latter preferablyprojecting slightly upwardly, as shown in Fig. 2, although they bearranged in a plane parallel to but spaced below the plane of the handlepart 22, if desired.

In order to adapt the arms 28 and for removing caps from different sizejars, each of the arms are provided with one or more teeth, projectionsor prongs which are automatically and selectively operable dependingupon the size of the cap to be removed. As illustrated, the arm 28, forexample, may be provided with three teeth 3G, 38 and 40 which cooperaterespectivelywith the lower rims of the flanges of the large, medium andsmall sizes of caps. Arm 39 on the other hand, may be provided withteeth 42 and 44, the former being for use with the larger sizes of capswhile the latter is employed for the intermediate and smaller sizes. 38,49 and 44 are formed by curved cut-away portions, as shown in Fig. 1while the teeth 36 and 42 are formed on the remote corners of the arms.In this manner, the arms are readily adapted for the removal ofdifferent size caps without the necessity of making any adjustmentswhatever.

In using the tool for removing the caps, the arms are applied beneaththe lower rim of the jar cap as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 4a. In theselatter figures the jars shown are of conventional type. For example thejar 46 of Fig. 4 is provided with a rim 48 for receiving the cap 50, anda shoulder 52 with which the arms 28 and 30 cooperate. In Fig. 4a, thejar 54 is likewise provided with a rim 56 for receiving the cap 50, butis formed with an outwardly directed flange or bead 58 with which thearms 28 and 30 cooperate. It is desired to point out that the frontedges 60 and 62 of the arms 28 and 39 are generally curved, as shown inFig. 1 and that when such edges are projected beneath the rim of the capthey come into contact with the neck of the jar. However, the curvatureof the edges and the location of the teeth on said edges are such thatirrespective r of the size of the cap to be removed, the teeth will notproject too far beneath the flange of the cap, during removal thereof,as to engage and become locked with the lower edges of the rims 48 or 56of the jars. Preferably, a pair of stops 64 and 65 in the form ofintegral lugs are respectively formed on the remote edges of the arms 28and 30 in order to limit the movement of the arms beneath the flange ofthe cap when using the tool with the larger sizes of jars. I

In operation, after application of the arms beneath the cap rim, asshown in Figs. 4 and 4a, it is only necessary to press the handle part22 downwardly whereupon a powerful camming between the arms 28, 30 andthe flange 58 or neck 52 will ensue. More particularly, as the handle ismoved downwardly, the inner or adjacent edges 29 and 3| of therespective arms 28 and 30 will rest upon the neck 52 or the flange 58while certain of the teeth on the arms will project In each instance,the teeth beneath the flange of the cap, depending upon the size cap tobe removed. The cooperation between said adjacent edges and the jar,during the downward movement of the handle produces the camming actionreferred to, and the cap is removed with very little effort and withoutmarring or bending the same. The action of the arms, in removing the capis shown more particularly in the partial view of Fig. 6. During theabove operation, it is pointed out that as the cap is removed, theoperative teeth for the particular size of cap will move in toward thejar during the pivotal movement of the edges 29 and 3| on the parts 52or 58, and this causes a firmer fulcrum to be secured between theadjacent edges of the arms 28 and 30 and the neck 52 or flange 58. Suchinward movement also compensates for the natural outward movement of theteeth due to the arc of travel of the arms 28 and 30, and thus a firmercontact between the operative teeth and rim of the cap is secured.

Referring to the arms 24 and 26 at the opposite end of the tool, it willbe observed that the outer edges thereof are generally curved toapproximate the curvature of the necks of conventional bottles forpackaging fruit juices, chili sauce, etc. In order to adapt the arms fordifierent size bottles, arm 24 is provided with a pair of teeth 68, 10While arm 26 is formed with a pair of teeth 12 and 14. In use, the armsare projected beneath the rim of the bottle cap and teeth 10 and 14 willbecome operative to remove caps from small necked bottles while teeth 68and 12 will function to remove caps from bottles of larger sizes. Thecamming action during operation is precisely the same as heretoforedescribed, it being understood that, conventional bottles havingpressed-on caps are provided with beads or flanges similar to 58 of Fig.4a, and that during the removal of the A 1 cap, the adjacent edges 75and 18 of the arms fulcrum upon such bead or flange. It is desired topoint out that the outer edges of the arms 24 and 26 are formed withcurved cut-away portions 89 and 82 which function as stops when theteeth 58 and 12 are cooperating to remove a bottle cap. Moreparticularly, such portions engage the lower edge of the skirt of thecap and prevent the teeth 68 and 12 from projecting too far beneath therim of the cap during the cap removing operation.

One of the features of the present invention is to locate the teeth 36,38, 4B, 42 and 44 in such position, that when they cooperate in removingcaps of different sizes, a minimum of effort will be required. Referringmore particularly to Fig. 11, there is disclosed therein, the angularrelationship between the cooperative teeth for different size jars. Forexample, for large caps, denoted by the legend Large, with teeth 42 and35 cooperating, it is seen that the included angle therebetween is shownat a. On the other hand, with teeth 44 and 38 cooperating to remove capsof intermediate size, as shown by the legend Medium, the included anglebetween the teeth is represented by b. Also, with teeth 40 and 44cooperating with caps of small size, denoted by the legend Small, theincluded angle between the teeth is shown at c. It will be observed thatangles a, b, and c are substantially equal and applicant has found thatfor the most efficient operation, this angle should be in the range ofto 90 and preferably about 85. With such an angularity, a minimum ofeffort is required to remove the caps.

, A further important feature of the present invention resides in: the:incorporation in the tool, heretofore "described; of a novelconstruction :for quicklyandefiicie-ntly removing; caps from containersof the jelly glass; type without marring 'or bending,the.-.cap.Herelloiore, caps, of this type.

n More. particularly, and referring; to-v Figs. 1 2, r

3, 7; and 8, th.e presenti invention includes a hook 8,2. of substantialbreadth, which: is preferably formed integrally with the-tool 28*. andispositioned intermediate "the arms 28 :andjtl. As shown in. Fig. 1, theouter .edge Bt of-thehook B2 is.s1ight1y curved in plan, from one sideto, the other and as shown in Fig. 3, is projected slightly upwardly inorder to more-readily-fit-beneath the rim of .a.cap.. Thisconstruction-forms a base 83, see .Figs. 2. and 3.- It.wil1.-also beunderstood that the .hook:82 may be-.-thicker where it joins the body.of the tool and.- maybetaperedtoward its outer edge 8.4.as clearly shownin Figs. 2 and 3.

.In. Figs. 7 and 8., the vtool- 29 is illustrated as applied toa cap.8.8 of a Jelly glass or tumbler type of container 81, whichfias iswell-known, is not provided with a neck or; flange asin the case of thejars 46. or 54' ofFigsA ande Aswill readilyappear from these figures,when the. tool is applied, the outeredge 84 ofthe. hook 82 projectsbeneath theskirt Qr-flange. 86. of the captS-while the adjacentedgesZBand SI of the arms 28 and is engage the; upper. peripheral portion; oredge 89 of the cap, at. spaceclapart points; see particularly Fig. 7.With theparts inthis-position, it will be observed from Fig, '7,thattheincludediangle d'between the adjacent edges 29 and 3.! is thesame as the angles a,.b andc of. Fig. lland applicant-has found thatthis angle is also such as to readily and quickly. remove caps. ofthetype of the cap 88, from difierent.sizecontainerswith a minimum ofeffort.

In operation, and with the tool assembled as shown in Figsfl? and 8, itis only necessary to raise the handle part 22 of the tool to effectremoval of the cap. Moreparticularly, as the tool is raised, the hook 82springs the lower portion of the flange E5 outwardly, and the portion ofthe cap between the adjacent edges 29 and 34 of the arms is sprungupwardly. This action. breaks the seal between the cap gasket and therim of the container and consequently breaks the partial vacuum within'the container. As this action takes place, the hook slidesupwardlyfurther between the flange of the cap and the wall of the jar toallow the flange to engage thebase 83 andperrnit the edges 29. and 3| ofthe arms 2.8.and 352 respectively to slide outwardly on. theiedge. 89 ofthe cap 88." Continued movement of the tool removes the cap from thecontainer and the sprung portion above referred to, springs back intoits former shape and leaves the cap in its original condition forrecapping the container.

It will be noted from theabove explanation of the operation of the tool,that the edges 29 and 3! of the arms bear directly upon the edge 88 ofthe cap at spaced apart points. This action is highly advantageous sincethe force reaction is taken by the reinforced beaded rim of thecontainer immediately beneath such points. A further advantaeeaccrzu sfirom the ore-ra nf h h k-.82. in p in in out apoli i el i t fl n 8tduring removalofgthepap. This action ensures that the edgeziid of thehook willnot engage the reinforced beaded rim of the container or thesurface of the container to scratch or crack the same. From the above itwill readily be seen that theangularity ofqthe arms,2a8-and. 39 togetherwith the shape and-location of the hook 82. enables caps of differentsizes. to. be. uickly and readily removed with a, minimum; of effort andwithout damaging the cap or the rim of the container.

- If desired. the-tool i2ll-may be provided with a pair of spaced aparthooksQll and 92 on its upper side, seeeF-igs. 1L and 2,, which may beused to remove papsrfrom Jelly; glass type containers, in lieu of thehook 32. In such event, the tool. is turned over, when applied to thecontainer cap 53 and the hooks.99- and 92 fitted beneath .the loweredgeiof theflange 86 and with the upper portions of the, arms-Z8; and.39, as viewed in Fig. l; in-contact with .the topsurface of the cap 88.Upward movement of the tool will again spring the'fiange- 8 6 of :thecap- 88 outwardly and upwardly to'break the'seal. and remove thecap. Itwill be understood that one hook may be used in the manner of the twohooks 99 and-92, in which event, the .singlelhook is .positioned betweenthe points where hooks.9ll,and 9,2 are positioned in-Fig. 1.

I A furtherv type of cap remover for containers of thejelly glasstype-includes the provision of arhook 94 formed integrally with theopposite end of thetool and positioned intermediate the arms 24 andZS.Inusingthisformof the invention, the hook-19,4 is placed beneath the rim8.6. of the cap-8B; withthe arms .restingonthe top ofthe capattheperipheral portion 89 thereof, see Figs. 9. and 10. ,Here. again, upwardmovement of the handle part 2.2 will serve tospringthe flange outwardlyandrupwardly and. the top may be readily removedwwithout permanently.bending the same out of shape.

A. further form of the invention is. illustrated in Figs. 12 and 13. .Inthis form, each of the arms-29 .and 39 are provided with hooks 9t andBdwhich are directed-forwardly andadapted to cooperate with the lowerrim of the flange 53%.: in the manner shown in Fig. 12.- In this case,due to the use of apair of hooks, the flange is gripped andsprung attwospaced apart points, and the cover is-readily removed.

From the-foregoing, it will be readily understoodthat the presentinvention provides a unitary prying type. of-tool, which is adapted to avariety of uses. For example, the tool be usedfor effectively removingjar caps ofdifferent sizes from jars, bottles, and containers of thetype having pressed-on caps and which jars and bottles possess a neck orflange which functions as a fulcrum support for the camming ac tionofthe armswhen the tool is in use. In operations of this'oharacter, thespacing of the teeth on the various arms insures complete and eflicientadaptability to caps of different size and removal thereof is easilyeffected without damaging the cap in any manner whatsoever and withoutbreaking or chipping the glass. This is decidedly advantageous when onlya portion of the contents of the container are used and it is desired torecap the container for future use.

In addition to the foregoing. the tool is also capable of efficientoperation in removing from containers of the jelly glass type which arenot provided with a flange or neck which could function as a fulcrumsupport for the camming arms of the tool. For such use, severaldifferent arrangements have been provided, all of them involving one ormore hooks or projections which are adapted to fit beneath the rim ofthe flange of the cap. The action of the hook or hooks, in springing theflange and edge of the cap without marring the top surface of the cap isdecidedly advantageous in that the cap is removed with entire absence ofpermanent bends or folds. Hence the container may be readily recappedfor subsequent use.

It will be also understood that if desired, the

arms 28 and 30 together with the hook 82 may be utilized in order toremove caps from bottles and jars of the smaller sizes. In such use, theadjacent inner corners of the arms 28 and 29 as well as the hook 82, areplaced beneath the rim of the cap and on the neck or flange of thebottle, the cap being readily removed by raising or lowering the handle.For extremely small size bottle caps, one of the arms 28 or 30 and thehook 82 may cooperate for removing the cap.

While several forms of the invention have been illustrated and describedherein, with considerable particularity, it will be readily understoodby those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications maybe made therein, without departing from the spirit of the invention. Forexample while the tool has been referred to as being especiallyadaptable for removing caps from containers of the jelly glass type, itwill be understood that this latter term includes all those containershaving no flange or shoulder beneath the rim of the cap. Thus containerspopularly known as Mason, Ball, Kerr, Atlas and other types ofpreserving jars are included in this category. It is also intended toinclude such containers for packaging cheese, flsh and other commoditieswhere no shoulder or flange is provided. Reference will therefore be hadto the appended claims for a definition of the limits of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A jar cap tool for lifting and removing a cap from a jar of thetumbler or jelly glass type having a beaded rim, and wherein the cap isvacuum sealed and is provided with an annular skirt surrounding theexterior wall of the jar, comprising a handle having a pair of spacedapart arms projecting outwardly from one end of the handle, said armslying in a common plane and provided with adjacent edges to rest atspaced apart points of support upon the edge of the top of the cap whenthe tool is placed in cap-removing position, and a hook projecting fromsaid one end of the handle and positioned intermediate said arms, thehook having a base portion for receiving the lower edge of the skirt ofthe cap and an outer portion extending between the skirt and theexterior Wall of the jar when the tool is placed in said cap-removingposition, said outer portion being formed to occupy a plane differentfrom the plane of the arms and to be closely adjacent the inner surfaceof the skirt, so that said outer portion will spring the skirt outwardlyfrom the jar wall and will readily clear the beaded rim of the jarduring upward movement of the tool about said points of support to liftand remove the cap from the jar.

2. A jar cap tool for lifting and removing a cap from a jar of thetumbler or jelly glass type having a beaded rim, and wherein the cap isvacuum sealed and is provided with an annular skirt surrounding theexterior wall of the jar comprising an elongated handle having one endthereof provided with a part bent downwardly with respect to the planeof the handle, said part having a pair of spaced apart projecting armsformed integrally therewith and arranged in a common plane offset fromthe plane of the handle, the portion of said part between said armsbeing curved to generally conform to the.

curvature of the wall of the jar, said arms being provided with adjacentedges directed generally toward the center of the cap, and said edgesresting at spaced apart points of support upon the edge of the cap whenthe tool is placed in capremoving position, and a hook projecting fromsaid part and formed integrally with said part intermediate the arms,the hook having a base portion for receiving the lower edge of the skirtof the cap and an outer portion extending between the skirt and theexterior wall of the jar when the tool is placed in said cap-removingposition, said outer portion of the hook being bent upwardly withrespect to said part to occupy a plane different from the plane of thearms and to be closely adjacent the inner surface of the skirt, so thatthe outer portion of the hook will spring the skirt outwardly and willreadily clear the beaded rim of the jar during upward movement of thetool about said points of support to lift and remove the cap from thejar.

3. A jar cap tool as set forth in claim 1 wherein the outer portion ofthe hook is tapered to provide a thin outer edge.

4. A jar cap tool as set forth in claim 2 wherein the outer portion ofthe hook is tapered to provide a thin outer edge.

EMILE G. BOUCHER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 47,850 Hunter Sept. 21, 1915FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 41,341 Denmark Dec. 12, 1929 690,191France June 16, 1930 517,142 Great Britain Jan. 22, 1940

